Pokémon Go player calls 999 to report stolen Pokémon

A Pokémon Go player called 999 to report that someone had "stolen their Pokémon".

The gaming fan decided to contact Gloucestershire police as an emergency while using the hugely popular app on the day after its UK launch.

Police subsequently gave the player “words of advice” on when it is appropriate to call 999.

The craze, which has reached fever pitch in the US, has sparked a string of incidents in the UK in the past week.

A security alert was triggered at Leicestershire police headquarters on July 15th when players gathered at the site - and Nottinghamshire police pleaded with users to consider others after two teenage boys accidentally spread fear among villagers in Normanton-on-Soar as they searched for Pokémon by torchlight in the early hours of July 12th.

The app was only officially launched for all users on July 14th, but some players had managed to get early access by working around country restrictions.

Phone theft

Three students had their phones stolen in a park in Hulme, Manchester, on Saturday while they were using the app, after forces including Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire police warned users that criminals could use the app to draw in victims.

The game allows players to buy a “lure module” to attract Pokémon - which as a result will also lure in other players.

PA